There have been times in recent years when he was preparing to finally walk away from the sport of boxing.

Cruiserweight Tim Flamos had put together a solid career, going 20-4-1, but with his 40th birthday in the rear-view mirror, the Brockton resident set his sights on retirement.

When it came time to make that final decision, though, Flamos always found himself being held back.

“I’ve tried to retire a few times,” said the 1985 Brockton High School graduate, “but something keeps bringing me back. I don’t know what it is.

“I was just hoping something would happen and I never gave up on it. I just kept going.”

At the age of 41, something special has now happened in the boxing career of Flamos.

He is one of 16 cruiserweights who will take part in the fourth season of the reality television series “The Contender” to be filmed in Singapore. The 11-episode show will be televised on the Versus network beginning in December.

Flamos will be living and training with the other 15 fighters, and they will compete in a tournament with the winner receiving the grand prize.

“The Contender” first aired in 2005 on NBC with Sugar Ray Leonard and Sylvester Stallone part of the series and was on ESPN the past two years. There was a $1 million prize for the winner the first year, $500,000 in the second year and $750,000 last year.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for me,” said Flamos, whose is ranked 15th by the North American Boxing Federation. “It’s coming a little late in my career, but it’s better late than never, right? This is my last hurrah. I’m going to go out there and give it my best. I definitely hope to win it.”

Flamos got a late start in boxing as he did not have any amateur fights and made his pro debut at the age of 28 on May 25, 1995, stopping Jose Luis Feliciano in the first round in Taunton. He was on the state, New England and Eastern Boxing Association cruiserweight championships and has eight knockout victories.

All 25 of Flamos’ fights have been in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut, and now he will be getting a lot more exposure as part of “The Contender.” The series shows the fighters as they live and train together while preparing for the five three-minute rounds that cap each episode and reduce the field. Brockton-based promoter Rich Cappiello submitted Flamos’ name to the show for consideration, and he was selected after the screening process.

“We figured with him being from Brockton, it would be a good storyline with the boxing history,” said Flamos’ manager, Steve Munro of Brockton. “He’s really got a good storyline going.”

Flamos followed the original season of “The Contender” when Rhode Island’s Peter Manfredo Jr. went to the finals before losing to Sergio Mora, who became the world junior middleweight champion.

Page 2 of 2 - “I was working with Peter’s father, Peter Sr., who was my trainer for five years, so I watched Peter,” said Flamos, who left for Singapore on Monday. “I really enjoyed the show. I always hoped they would come to my weight class and I’d get a shot at it.

“I thought it was a great show when I watched it. It looked like a tough thing to do. You’ve got to live with the other fighters. It looked like it could be uncomfortable at times, but it looked like a great opportunity for the guys to put their name out there and show what they can do. A lot of fighters wound up getting some good fights after that.”

Flamos has no illusions about using “The Contender” as a springboard to become a world champion, but it will be a fun way to put the capper on his career.

“I’m just hoping I do good on the show, and if a good fight comes and the time frame is there to get ready for it and the money’s there, I’ll take it,” said Flamos, who works for the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office. “First, I’ve got to do good. If I do good and things go well, I’ll keep fighting.

“As long as I feel good and I can do it, I’ll do it. I really don’t feel like I’ve slowed down. I can honestly say I don’t feel any slower than I was at 31 10 years ago.”

When Flamos is in the spotlight on the show, the names of Brockton boxing legends Rocky Marciano and Marvelous Marvin Hagler are sure to surface.

“I think it’ll be good for the city,” said Flamos, who is trained by Tony Petronelli and Joe Ennis. “It’s been a while since anything big has happened for fighters in Brockton. It’ll be good. Marciano was always my idol and it’s probably because of him I got into it.”

Now the end of Flamos’ career is drawing near, and after contemplating retirement after his TKO win over Chris McInerney last March in Lincoln, R.I., he is getting the chance to make a name for himself on national television.

“Maybe this is why I kept at it and didn’t retire, who knows?” said Flamos. “I didn’t give up and now I’m getting this chance here. I’m glad that it worked out the way it did. I’m glad I didn’t quit when a lot of people said I should retire.”